The present invention relates to a winch. More particularly, it relates to an adjustable cable guide for use with a winch.
For the casual user who has a winch mounted on an off-road vehicle, such as a Jeep™ or an ATV (All Terrain Vehicle), wherein the winch may be used for vehicle recovery when it gets stuck in mud, snow, or an embankment, a common problem is that the cable of the winch may bunch up on the winch drum. If the diameter of the bunched-up cable becomes large enough, it may exert a force on the framework of the winch, causing the framework to bend or break, which causes the winch to fail.
Winches used by professionals may have a powered drive mechanism to force and guide the cable to wind up evenly on the winch drum to prevent the cable from bunching up. However, these cable-guide mechanisms are complex, bulky, and expensive and are therefore not found, or even offered, on relatively small and comparatively inexpensive casual-use winches.
There is a need for a cable-guide mechanism for use with an inexpensive winch to prevent the cable from bunching up on the winch drum. The cable-guide mechanism needs to be simple and inexpensive so it can be supplied even for very inexpensive winches. The cable-guide mechanism needs to be simple to use, reliable, and able to operate in adverse environments, such as muddy or slushy-ice conditions.